1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to skeletal implants (such as dental implants) and more particularly to an abutment that also acts as a mount.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dental implants are used to provide a platform to which a dental prosthesis may be secured to underlying bone in the mandible or maxilla of a dental patient. A typical root form dental implant system employs a dental implant that is placed in a prepared site in the underlying bone. A disposable mount is used to provide a connection to an insertion tool used to place the implant into the bone. If the implant is a threaded implant, the mount is typically a removable extension of the implant that provides a hex nut-type surface for engagement with a socket used for screwing the implant into the prepared site. Once the implant is engaged in the site, the mount is removed and discarded. A cover screw is affixed to the top of the implant and the bone surrounding the prepared site is allowed to grow into the implant for several months, thereby securing the implant to the bone.
Once the surrounding bone has sufficiently engaged the implant, the cover screw is removed and an impression coping is affixed to the implant. An impression of the implant and the surrounding teeth is taken and a dental prosthesis is constructed using the impression as a model of the area of the patient's mouth surrounding the implant site. The dental prosthesis is then affixed to the abutment with cement, or other affixing means. Thus, the abutment acts as a platform for securing a dental prosthesis to the implant.
The current method is wasteful and costly because the mount is discarded and a separate abutment must be procured.